Northwestern 'Best Of Both Worlds' For Mascott

NEWBURYPORT, Ma. - The “best of both worlds'' is how Cole Mascott looks at a commitment to Northwestern.

“It has the academics of the Ivy League and you’re playing in the Big 10, a baseball Power 5 conference,” Mascott explained. “I’ve always been someone that’s wanted a high academic school and there is no doubt Northwestern is where I want to be.”

When Jim Foster took over the program in Evanston, Ill., this summer it all came together for the 17-year-old at Phillips Andover Academy.

“I’d always been interested in Northwestern and I signed up for a camp this winter but was unable to make it,” reflected the 17th-ranked 2023 right-handed pitcher in New England. “This summer when I saw they had a new coach I asked my coaches about him and both said they’ve known him for a long time and referred me to him.

“He came and saw me pitch in Georgia and loved my competitiveness and grit. That’s the kind of coach he is. Two weeks after, he came to see me again in Georgia and invited me to campus. I instantly fell in love with the school and knew it was the place for me. He gave me an offer and I took it on the spot.”

Foster, the 2022 Patriot League Coach of the Year who led Army to four conference titles in six years in charge of the program, found a lot to like in Mascott.

“Coach Foster is a northeast guy and was a catcher in pro ball,” Mascott explained. “He loves my projectability, he knows there is room for improvement. But the main thing is the way I compete. We faced good competition when he saw me and he loved how I worked through tough situations and battled.”

A commitment brought an end to a long recruiting process that had the 49th-rated New England senior talking to and receiving offers from the likes of Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Holy Cross and UMass.

“Since the eighth grade I’ve been going to one or two PBRs a year,” Mascott related. “The main goal was to get to the Future Games and it ended up paying off. I was in awe of how many coaches were there. That was huge exposure for me. The schools I talked to this year all saw me there.”

It was quite a change from a year prior.

“I switched to pitching full time last summer but I had no calls,” Mascott noted. “My first phone call was in November, but it was the only one until spring of this year. I was a late bloomer, but this spring high school season I generated a lot of buzz.”

The seventh-ranked 2023 right-handed pitcher in Massachusetts obviously made the right choice in turning to pitching on a full-time basis.

“Last spring I was primarily a hitter that threw hard for my age and my Andover coach said I was going to be a pitcher,” Mascott said. “The 2021 summer I was hitting and pitching but I had a better summer pitching.

“After that I got into a pitching program with James Baker and I was in the gym five or six days a week. This was my first year with Show (his summer travel team) and I made significant improvement with my delivery. I’m a lot stronger and have had velo improvements.”

The move to the mound benefitted his desire to play baseball at the next level.

“For as long as I can remember I’ve gone to Red Sox games,” Mascott explained. “I love baseball. I started playing T-Ball and was a good hitter and dreamed of playing MLB. It was always pro ball until I was an eighth grader and realized you’ve got to get to college baseball first and that became the goal. I need to get to college baseball before I play professional baseball.”

That step will take place at Northwestern, a decision that went over well at home.

“My parents are super excited for me,” Mascott said. “They’re very proud of me and I couldn’t have done it without them. It was a stressful process this summer.”

There is an understanding of the challenges ahead at a high academic university, with Mascott’s sister currently attending Vanderbilt..

“I love sports more but academics are as important, so the goal was always to go to a prestigious college,” Mascott explained. “As soon as I looked at Phillips Academy Andover that was huge for my family. I know it’s going to be tough playing Big 10 baseball and going to a top school but I’m up to the challenge. I think Andover prepared me and coach (Kevin) Graber runs the team like college so I’ll be very prepared there. I have a lot to learn but coach Graber sets everyone up for college baseball.”

A 3.87 student in high school, Mascott plans to major in economics at Northwestern, where the Kellogg Certificate Program is “one of the best in the world” according to the Phillips Academy Andover senior.

“When you get to college you’re doing full-time academics and full-time baseball,” Mascott said of what he’s looking forward to once his school days begin at Northwestern. “I can’t wait to get there to lift and play every day as many hours a day as I can.”